


Frozen Things

by mywordsflyup



Category: Mass Effect: Andromeda
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Mild Hurt/Comfort, local idiot gets into a fight and tall hot girlfriend has to patch her up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-03
Updated: 2017-04-03
Packaged: 2018-10-14 11:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10535634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mywordsflyup/pseuds/mywordsflyup
Summary: She knows Ryder better than to assume she wouldn’t be involved in a pretty significant bar fight.





	

**Author's Note:**

> No spoilers for the romance but very small ones for "Hunting the Archon".

The first rumors she hears about the Pathfinder being involved in pretty significant bar fight come from a Salarian arms dealer she pays a visit on her way back to the Tempest. 

 

“Made quite a ruckus,” he tells her as he sorts through boxes of ammunition, the Nexus serial number not completely filed off. “She and that old krogan you run around with.” 

 

Merchants are prone to gossip - especially the ones on Kadara. And especially when the rumor involves scandalous details about high-ranking Initiative members. So Vetra pays him what she owes and doesn’t give him the pleasure of confirming or denying anything. 

 

But then again, she knows Ryder better than to assume she _ wouldn’t  _ be involved in a pretty significant bar fight.

 

She spots Drack in the kitchen when she gets back on the ship and the look of utter satisfaction on his face tells her all she needs to know. 

 

The doors to the Pathfinder’s Quarters slide open and she sees Ryder jump a little where she sits on the sofa. 

 

She looks… pretty banged up. Even from the doorway, Vetra can see the dark bruise already forming underneath her eye and most of the left side of her face. She has a split lip. Vetra assumes that’s probably also the source of the blood on her shirt. There’s more blood on a towel on the table in front of her - in addition to half the contents of a first aid kit that looks like she just turned the whole thing over and dumped them on the table. 

 

“It’s alright,” Ryder says when Vetra pauses in the doorway for a moment. “I know my beauty can be startling sometimes.” 

 

Vetra laughs despite herself and finally walks up to the couch. The doors slide closed behind her. 

 

“Is this where you tell me I should see the other guy?” She waits for Ryder to make room on the couch before sitting down. 

 

Ryder folds her legs underneath her and scoffs. “Guys. Plural. Please don’t add insult to my injury.” 

 

“I wouldn’t dare.” 

 

“You laugh. But for your information, they looked pretty bad.” 

 

“Didn’t doubt it for a second.” 

 

Ryder tries to grin but it turns into more of a wince when fresh blood wells up from the cut in her lip. “Ouch. Could you…” She gestures towards the open first aid kit on the table and Vetra quickly pulls out a fresh piece of gauze. “Thanks.” 

 

“Don’t you think Lexi should take a look at that?” Vetra asks as she watches Ryder gingerly press the gauze on the cut. 

 

“Nah,” Ryder says, leaning back against the cushions. “I don’t feel like a lecture right now.” 

 

“You’re not going to get one from me.”

 

“I’m not?” 

 

Vetra clicks her tongue. “I’m not really in the position to judge anyone for starting fights in seedy bars.” 

 

“We didn’t start it!”

 

“Or for finishing them.” 

 

Vetra has to admit, Ryder’s face looks pretty bad. But her hands definitely got the worst of it. Ryder catches her staring at the bruised and split knuckles of her right hand and shrugs. “Probably should disinfect that one.” 

 

“Probably should let Lexi make sure nothing’s broken.” Before Ryder can protest, she carefully takes her hand and pulls it towards herself. “Let me. You keep pressure on your lip.” 

 

Ryder huffs but doesn’t pull her hand back.

 

“Where did you even find this stuff?” Vetra asks, rummaging through the first aid kit. “This looks ancient. No medi-gel?” 

 

Another shrug. “I ran out like two weeks ago.” 

 

“It’s going to leave scars,” Vetra says, fishing a bottle of disinfectant and some bandages out of the box. 

 

“Don’t tell me that’d be a dealbreaker.” 

 

Vetra laughs. “It hasn’t deterred me so far.” 

 

Ryder only flinches a little at the sting of the disinfectant and holds still while Vetra wraps her bruised hand with a fresh bandage.

 

“It’s real romantic. You patching me up like this.” 

 

“Too bad kissing is off the table with that busted lip of yours.”

 

“Oh, cruel!” Ryder pulls away the bloody gauze to show her that the bleeding has stopped. “See? It’s fine.” The grin that follows is as careful as can be. “And you know I don’t mind a little pain.” 

 

“Oh, I know.” She lifts Ryder’s hand and presses a gentle kiss on her bandaged knuckles instead. “There.” 

 

Ryder sighs. “It will do. For now.” 

 

“I’ll sneak a few cooling pads out of the med bay for you later.” 

 

Ryder presses her other hand to her chest. “My hero.” 

 

Vetra watches her lean back, her head falling against the backrest with a heavy sigh. Her eyes slide closed almost immediately. Even without the black eye and the blood, she’d look pretty tired. Exhausted. 

 

“So,” Vetra says and starts repacking the first aid kit. “What happened to making a good impression on Kadara?” 

 

Ryder makes a noncommittal noise and a vague gesture with her bandaged hand. “I think technically this counts as a good impression on Kadara.” 

 

“Perhaps a little too good.” 

 

Ryder opens her eyes to give her a sideways look. “I thought I wasn’t getting a lecture from you.” 

 

“Not a lecture. Just concern.” 

 

“That’s worse.”

 

Vetra stays quiet for a moment. She knows she’ll have to say it eventually. It gnaws at her, a constant reminder nestled somewhere deep in her chest. It’s… irritating, mostly. She’s not used to not speaking her mind. 

 

“Is there a reason for this self-destructive thing you’ve been doing lately?” 

 

Another noncommittal noise but Ryder keeps her eyes on her, sharp as ever. 

 

“You don’t speak about it but I know something has changed. Since…” Now it’s her turn for vague hand gestures. Turns out some things are too big for words. 

 

“Since I died?” 

 

Ah.

 

“Yes.” 

 

Ryder sits up and Vetra sees an expression of pain flash across her face for just a split second. Bruised ribs. Possibly broken. 

 

“You do remember that wasn’t my first time, right?” 

 

“Not really the point here.” Vetra takes a deep breath. “And this time was different.” 

 

She doesn’t have to say it out loud. 

 

“You called him a bony freak,” Ryder says but the smile on her face is weak. 

 

“Well, he deserved it.” 

 

Ryder watches her, her brow furrowed. “You were scared.”

 

Vetra almost laughs out loud but her throat feels tight all of a sudden. “Of course I was.” 

 

She’s gotten pretty good at reading Ryder’s face, as strange as human micro expressions can be sometimes. But now, she’s coming up empty.

 

Ryder’s eyes flick to the first aid kit on the table and she doesn’t look back up. “Me too.” Her laugh sounds more like a cough and she still doesn’t meet Vetra’s eye. “Scared shitless, actually.”

 

And Vetra thinks she knows what look on her face means. 

 

“That’s nothing to be ashamed of.” 

 

Ryder scoffs but it’s half-hearted. “Maybe not. But I have to say, I don’t really care for it.” 

 

Vetra takes a moment before she responds. “Just because they keep giving you the title, doesn’t mean you have to always be the hero.” She rests hers hands on Ryder’s thigh, lightly just to keep the connection. “I know you humans don’t like to hear it but you’re still just big fleshy bags of blood and goo.” 

 

Ryder’s laugh is only somewhat dimmed by how much it seems to hurt her ribs. “You make me sound so irresistible.” She covers Vetra’s hand with her own, the unbandaged one. The skin of her knuckles isn’t split but still pretty heavily bruised. Vetra makes a mental note to get more than a couple of cooling pads from the med bay. 

 

She gently squeezes Ryder’s thigh. She’d pull her close if she didn’t think it would hurt her more than comfort her. “You know, I’ve always had a somewhat questionable taste.”

**Author's Note:**

> About fic requests inquire [here.](http://damnable-rogue.tumblr.com/ask)  
> You can also find me on Tumblr, if you want: [damnable-rogue](http://damnable-rogue.tumblr.com/)  
> 


End file.
